Xbox Wire - Your source for news, information, product releases, events, sports, entertainment & exclusive content relating to Xbox

Games

The Inspiration Behind the World of Desert Child

by Oscar Brittain, Creator, Desert Child Posted on December 13, 2018December 13, 2018

My name’s Oscar Brittain. I’m from this place called Fremantle. It’s a satellite city south of Perth in Western Australia. At first glance it seems entirely insignificant and non-unique. Just another West Coast town with old buildings ranging from the 1870s to 1970s, and with a shipping port accounting for half its area. People are nice, but that’s just WA tor you. You might mistakenly think it only exists for the port. You might see the ancient football ground in the centre of town, with a statue of local legends battling it out mid-game. But if you don’t stop the car and have a look around, you’d never know what a beautiful place you’d missed out on... Read more

GTA Online: Arena War Out Now on Xbox One

by Rockstar Games Posted on December 13, 2018December 13, 2018

Welcome to a new era of entertainment. Time to sit down, strap in, and battle other would-be opponents in the greatest mash-up of sports and automotive gladiatorial combat in human history. The most deranged vehicles! The most brutal weapons! The biggest crowds! Run your own workshop, craft your own juggernauts of destruction, and track your own carnage-filled career. Live from the Maze Bank Arena, this is Arena War. 7 Arena Events You signed up for glory, and it's showtime. Step into destruction derbies, rain fire from strategically placed artillery and wreak havoc from the Spectator Box with EMP Drones, self-destructing RC Cars and much, much more. Arena Workshop and... Read more

Play it Today: Fortune Island Now Available for Forza Horizon 4

by Brian Ekberg, Forza Community Manager Posted on December 13, 2018December 13, 2018

The first expansion for Forza Horizon 4 officially rolls out today, bringing new treasure, adventure, and epic driving action to players worldwide. With extreme terrain, perilous weather conditions such as atmospheric storms and the Aurora Borealis, a brand-new Horizon treasure hunt and a host of new driving challenges, Fortune Island cranks the Forza Horizon 4 experience to 11. For more information on Fortune Island, be sure to check out last week’s announcement. Forza Horizon 4’s Fortune Island expansion is available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC for $19.99, and is included for players who own the Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition, the Forza Horizon 4 Expansions Bundle or the... Read more

Games

Highlights from Ghost Recon Wildlands Special Operation 3 Update

by Grace Orlady, Community Developer, Ubisoft Posted on December 13, 2018December 13, 2018

Calling all Ghosts! In Special Operation 3, Silent Spade, veteran Ghost Scott Mitchell is calling on Nomad to help rookie John Kozak investigate a plot that links the Santa Blanca Cartel a nuclear threat. Uncover this action-packed plot and complete the mission to get the Cloaking Device Backpack, which will boost your stealth. Experience this free new content and much more as part of Ghost Recon: Wildlands Year 2. Free Mission: Silent Spade Ghost Leader Scott Mitchell is calling on Nomad and his team to help rookie John Kozak investigate a plot that links the Santa Blanca Cartel a nuclear threat. Uncover this action-packed plot and complete the mission to get the Cloaking Device... Read more

Games

Place Bamboo in Minecraft to Support the WWF

Games

Multiplayer Tips for Final Fantasy XV Comrades, Available Now on Xbox One

by Christopher Harada, Community Manager, Final Fantasy XV Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Rise and shine, Glaives! New and exciting features have been added to Final Fantasy XV multiplayer: Comrades! Xbox One owners can now enjoy the game separately from Final Fantasy XV and if you already own the Season Pass DLC, we have great news for you: You can download this new experience for free! For anyone who might be new to the series, Comrades puts you in the boots of a Glaive, a special unit soldier who once served under the Kingdom of Lucis. It is now up to you to help prevent further damage from happening in an apocalyptic event known as the Starscourge. How your character looks is completely up to you! Here are a few tips to help you jump right in: There are... Read more

Games

The 5 Stages of Overcooked During the Holidays

by Phil Duncan, Co-Founder, Ghost Town Games Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

The holidays are upon us and we’re full of yuletide joy here at Ghost Town Games (Oli’s had his tree up since November). This year we’re thrilled to bring you a little present; just keep your eyes peeled on our social channels in the coming days for all the sweet details! To help celebrate the occasion, we present to you the 5 stages of Overcooked during the holidays: Denial Yes, the Mince Pies may be on fire, and the fire extinguisher might have just slipped into the frozen lake, but there’s still plenty of time left on the timer for you and your team to pull together and serve those hungry customers! Anger Minor crisis averted, time to cook up a new batch of mince... Read more

Games

Forza Horizon 4 Update 4 Launching Tomorrow

Games

Xbox Game Pass Heads to Dew Tour

by Kelly Lombardi, Xbox Game Pass Marketing Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Winter wonderland is upon us and the Xbox Game Pass team is traveling to Breckenridge, CO to bring the magic of over 100 great games to snowboarding and winter sports enthusiasts attending the Dew Tour snowboarding competition. Between December 13-17, attendees can join in on the Xbox Game Pass fun and games in the VIP lounge and beyond, including gameplay, free Xbox Game Pass trial codes, and a hot cocoa station. For those that can’t attend in person, you can still get in on the fun. We’re partnering with snowboarder Marcus Kleveland to reach fans outside of the event. Hailing from Dombäs, Norway, at 19 years of age Marcus already has 5 X Games medals and was the first ever... Read more: Xbox Game Pass Heads to Dew Tour

Games

Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Ashen

by Will Tuttle, Xbox Wire Editor in Chief Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Many of gaming’s most compelling stories come from those who’ve helped to create our favorite Xbox One games. In our Inside Xbox One X Enhanced series, these creators will share the behind-the-scenes accounts of the work involved in enhancing these epic games for Xbox One X, how they’ve helped chart the course of the world’s most powerful console, and what that means for the future of gaming. Today, we’ll be chatting with Ashen's Character & Animation Lead Simon Dasan and Lead Designer Mike Vermeulen about enhancing Ashen for Xbox One X. What specifically is your development team doing to enhance Ashen for Xbox One X The A44 team aimed to create a deeply immersive world... Read more: Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Ashen

Games

Demolish Your Opponents’ Cars During The Crew 2 Free Weekend

by Chris Watters, Associate Communications Manager, Ubisoft News Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

If the idea of crunching your opponents’ cars while racing through an aircraft cemetery appeals to you, then the first free weekend for The Crew 2 on Xbox One is the place to be. Hot on the heels of the free Demolition Derby update, which added new destructible cars, new special events, a competitive new PvP mode, and more, The Crew 2 will be free to download and play for Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One from December 13 at 12:01 a.m. PDT through December 17 at 9 p.m. PDT. You can also take advantage of big discounts—including up 67% off the Standard & Deluxe versions of the game from December 13 through December 20, and those who play during the free weekend will be rewarded... Read more

Games

Realm Royale Enters Closed Beta on Xbox One with Founder’s Pack Launch

by Josh Nash, Community Manager, Heroic Leap Games Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

Heroic Leap Games is proud to announce the next phase of our fantasy battle royale game -- Realm Royale is now in closed beta on Xbox One. We’ve been hard at work bringing the game to Xbox One, and we’re excited for players to dive into our closed beta for a firsthand look at the fresh spin on the battle royale experience that we’ve crafted. We think that Realm looks and plays great on Xbox One, so we feel that fans anticipating our launch since it was announced this past Summer will agree that it was worth the wait. If you’re just hearing about Realm Royale for the first time, we hope that you’ll join us as we continue to work hard to create the best battle royale experience... Read more

Games

Winter Wonderland Returns in Overwatch on Xbox One

by Glenn Gutierrez, Associate Brand Manager, Overwatch Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For the next three weeks, Overwatch is getting into the holiday spirit with the return of a seasonal event: Winter Wonderland! Expand your collection of seasonal items, enjoy two classic winter brawls, and get ready for lots of holiday fun and loot in this limited-time event. This year, we’re celebrating by bringing back a pair of Overwatch players’ favorite Arcade brawls: Yeti Hunter and Mei’s Snowball Offensive. We’ve also decked the halls of the Blizzard World map with a sprinkle of wintry holiday cheer. But we know what you really want most: presents! Unlock new seasonal items—including legendary skins like Krampus Junkrat,... Read more

Games

Cats and Pandas Now in Minecraft

Singer Kane Brown to Help Support U.S. Veterans on Next Xbox Live Sessions

by Aaron Greenberg, GM of Games Marketing Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

Fresh off receiving his No. 1 Billboard 200 debuting album, “Experiment,” and third No. 1 country radio single with “Lose It,” singer and songwriter Kane Brown will be joining the next episode of Xbox Live Sessions on Tuesday, December 11 at 4 p.m. PST to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. You can catch Kane experiencing Call of Duty’s signature gritty, grounded, fluid Multiplayer combat; fighting waves of the undead in the biggest Zombies offering ever across three full undead adventures; and seeing if he can leave none standing in the massive battle royale experience, Blackout, on the Mixer Xbox Channel and YouTube Xbox Channel. It’s fitting for Kane to join this episode of... Read more

Games

Kingdom Two Crowns and its Feudal Japan Inspiration

by Gordon Van Dyke, Game Director, Kingdom series and co-founder of Raw Fury Posted on December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

Today Kingdom Two Crowns is launching on Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass, the next installment in the award-winning micro-strategy series. We introduce a brand-new campaign mode which moves away from the roguelike element that we had in previous iterations. By making this shift it opened the opportunity to expand the games experience and choices having longer and bigger impacts to your Kingdom. It also created the narrative to allow the player to renew their reign over their Kingdom as a new ruler who inherits it in decay and must repair and continue the plight against the Greed. And ultimately finding a means to defeat the Greed for good! Another major addition to Kingdom Two Crowns is... Read more

Discover the World of Anthem on Xbox One

by Matt Dupree, Writer, EA Posted on December 10, 2018December 9, 2018

Greetings, Freelancers! We know you’re itching to suit up in your Javelin for the first time and set out to make a name for yourself in Anthem on Xbox One. And while we wait patiently (or impatiently) for February 22 -- or February 15 for EA Access members -- let’s go over some of the awesome new content we’ve shown off. First things first: you should watch that trailer at the top of this article. You may have already seen it when it launched during The Game Awards, but it’s worth watching again. It brings the history of Anthem to life with just a hint of the looming enemy that threatens to upend the uneasy balance of this dangerous world. But there’s even more to... Read more

Microsoft Store Powers New Experiences at Accessible Theme Park

Games

Five Tips to Get Started in Warframe’s New Fortuna Expansion on Xbox One

by Douglass C. Perry, PR Director, Digital Extremes Posted on December 10, 2018December 10, 2018

The open world of Fortuna has arrived in all its frigid, mysterious, terraformed glory and it’s beckoning you, Tenno, to join the rebel faction Solaris United. We've talk about what’s in Fortuna since we announced it at TennoCon last July, but where do you start? What do you do once you get there? Below are five helpful tips to get you started on The Orb Vallis (the surface world) and Fortuna (the underground hub). For more help on basics, check out the Warframe starter guide. 1) Get Your K-Drive Hoverboard Once you’ve arrived in Fortuna, the underground hub city, you’ll find a beautiful world to explore. Walk around, check things out, and in your travels find the... Read more

Details on Vigor 0.7 Update: Breach

by David -Locklear- Sláma, Game Designer, Vigor Posted on December 7, 2018December 7, 2018

In the previous update to the post-war shoot 'n' loot game Vigor, the team focused on technical improvements, significant looting and crafting reworks, and the addition of the possibility to play with a friend. Building upon the fundamentals, the new update "Breach" -- availble now on Xbox One -- lets us bring some interesting gameplay additions to showcase the intended path for future development of the game. Breach the Barricades The core of encounters, or matches, in Vigor is looting, surviving, and optionally trying to get the most valuable reward: the airdrop. In the future, we want to bring more variety to the formula, to which we take the first steps in the "Breach" update.... Read more: Details on Vigor 0.7 Update: Breach

Games

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for December 11 to 14

by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Posted on December 7, 2018December 7, 2018

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to... Read more